Caroline is an esports journalist focusing on CS:GO. Starting out as a casual CS:GO fan, her interest quickly turned into a passion as she spent years studying the game. She has put that knowledge to use as a journalist, now writing about professional CS:GO for multiple websites including TheGamer.

CSGO: StarLadder Berlin Major – Top 16 Teams Decided

The final 16 teams in contention for the Berlin Major championship have been decided with the conclusion of the New Challengers Stage. The top 8 teams from the New Challengers Stage will meet the 8 returning Legends from the previous Major later this week in the New Legends Stage.

Teams with a 3-0 Record

Topping the swiss system in the New Challengers Stage are mousesports and North. Both of these teams won three straight games to secure their spot in the next stage. Mousesports comes into Berlin with a lot to prove after having overhauled their entire roster earlier this year. Now with Finn “karrigan” Andersen at the helm, the squad looks ready to take on whoever comes their way. The mixed-European lineup took down ForZe, AVANGAR, and G2 to send them straight to the New Legends Stage. Their first opponent there will be FaZe Clan, the team Andersen was cut from late last year.

North joined mousesports in the 3-0 column after securing wins over INTZ, Syman, and CR4ZY. The Danish squad looks to climb back up the rankings after bringing on AWPer Jakob “JUGi” Hansen, and letting Valdemar “valde” Bjørn Vangså take over the in-game leadership role. Their path to the Major has been less than smooth. They had to get there through the Minor Play-In after coming in third at the European Minor. Regardless, the Danes power through to the next stage, where they will meet Vitality in the first round.

Teams with a 3-1 Record

As per swiss system rules, three teams have qualified for the next stage with a 3-1 record. North Americans NRG were among those to do so, having only dropped one map to DreamEaters in the opening matches. Upset notwithstanding, the NA squad went on to gain crushing victories over TyLoo, Syman, and AVANGAR to qualify for the New Legends Stage. NRG hopes to prove that their recent decision to replace in-game leader Damian “daps” Steele with Peter “stanislaw” Jarguz wasn’t a mistake. They will face off against Renegades in their opening match of the New Legends Stage.

Also finishing with a 3-1 record is G2, a veteran French team with a promising string of recent results. G2 began their Challengers Stage run by taking down both TyLoo and DreamEaters in convincing fashion before falling to mousesports. Their following 2-0 victory of ForZe qualified them for the New Legends Stage. G2 put their names back on the radar after challenging Team Liquid in the ESL Pro League Season 9 Grand Final in June. Their first match of the New Legends Stage will see them take on Natus Vincere in a battle between two of the best AWPers in CS:GO history.

The next team to qualify for the Major’s New Legends Stage is CR4ZY They’re a mixed-Serbian team who has pushed up the rankings over the last year. CR4ZY took down Grayhound and FURIA before meeting North in the 2-0 matches. Though they fell to North, they later defeated DreamEaters to secure their spot in the next stage. CR4ZY is a young, relatively inexperienced team looking to make a name for themselves in Berlin. Their first match of the Legends stage will be quite the proving ground. In it, they will be taking on the world’s number one squad, Team Liquid, in the first round.

Teams with a 3-2 Record

Three teams have qualified for the New Legends Stage with a 3-2 record, though many did not expect that finish out of some of these teams. Many expected Vitality to clean up the competition here, as they are currently ranked as the second best team in the world. Instead, they struggled in their opening match, losing 8-16 to Syman Gaming. They managed to secure a win over INTZ before taking a surprising loss to DreamEaters. Consecutive victories over HellRaisers and Grayhound allowed them a spot in the New Legends Stage, where they will face North in their opening match.

Another unexpected result from the New Challengers Stage comes from DreamEaters, a relatively unknown team from Russia. Many predicted the CIS squad to drop out of the Challengers Stage with a 0-3 record. But the team’s fast-paced gameplay helped them prove their doubters wrong. Their upset wins over NRG and Vitality surprised many, though they did take some losses to G2 and CR4ZY. Their 2-0 victory over ForZe on the last day qualified them for the next stage. They will immediately be faced with another challenge, as their first-round match-up of the New Legends Stage will see them take on Danish powerhouse Astralis.

The final team to qualify for the New Legends Stage is AVANGAR, another CIS team that many had doubted. The team took down CompLexity before putting up 17 rounds in an overtime loss to mousesports. Their next matches saw them defeat HellRaisers and take a loss to NRG. Their final win over Syman moved them to the New Legends Stage. Here, they will take on ENCE in the opening round.

The StarLadder Berlin Major New Legends Stage will begin on August 28th.